PopCap Games announces a Plants vs. Zombies sequel is in the works, and they expect to release the real-time strategy follow-up next year, offering "hordes of new plant and zombie types and mulch more." Here's word:

PopCap Games, maker of some of the world’s most popular video game franchises and a division of EA, today announced that the underground growth of the sequel to Plants vs. Zombies™, one of the world’s most popular video games, is germinating and advancing with rigor.

The sequel to Plants vs. Zombies is expected to launch by late spring 2013, and will include a bevy of new features, settings, and situations, designed to delight the franchise’s tens of millions of fans around the world. No other details of the highly anticipated new installment in the franchise are available at this time, beyond the following comments from some of the game’s denizens.

“Spring is crullestcurlie ungood time, and plantz grow dull roots,” noted an unidentified spokesperson. “So, we are meating you for brainz at yore house. No worry to skeduleschedlue plan… we're freee anytime. We'll find you.”

“There was a time we relished a bracing, hearty blend of zombies, in the morning,” said Sonny F. Lower, a representative of the Flora Forever Foundation. “But first, a brisk shower and some strategic pruning are required. Tomorrow is near!”

Creston wrote on Aug 20, 2012, 15:59:PvZ is way way way too easy, and yeah, I ROCK at Defense Grid. I was in the top 100 on all maps before the cheaters started going nuts.

As for the roof, it's pretty simple. Sunflower, Sunflower, Sunflower, Sunflower. By this point the zombie is near your first flower pot. Squash for the Zombie. Sunflower. Now another zombie shows up. Plant a catapult in the same row. Flower pot, Sunflower. Plant another catapult if the zombie is in another row, or a corn thrower if the new zombie is in the same row.

Keep building out flower pots and sunflowers until you have three rows of sunflowers, one row of catapults and one row of corn throwers. Then start swapping out the last row of sunflowers for melon pults.

Walls are optional. I usually never bother unless the game randomly picks them for me. Flowers are actually cheap walls that pay themselves off in a hurry, so I tend to just keep planting those. Works just as well.

The roof levels are dead easy. You don't need umbrella plants. Yeah, the bungee zombies are annoying, but oh well. They take a plant, you immediately plant it back again. And the basketball throwers typically die before they ever do any damage. And even IF they do, it costs 100 sun to replace the catapult. *shrug*

The only annoying level is the bonus one where you only get chompers. I fucking HATE that level. I've never actually failed at it, despite playing it at least 50 times, but I just hate it. It's no fun.

Creston

This awesome post would not be out of place on a gardening website. Is this Bluesnews or HGTV.com for chrissake???

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi

fawker wrote on Aug 20, 2012, 16:06:On a sad note, pop cap hasn't come up with anything new in a long time. Now the get a sequel? I won't say it's not warranted, but EA's kiss of death has gotten every developer so far.

That has nothing to do with EA, they are a pretty slow developer.It took a number of years after insaniquarium to get PvZ out. If EA sticks their boot in, you'll probably see much increased release schedule (dunno if that will be a good thing or bad thing)

The biggest trick I've found is using garlic effectively. Funnel all the zombies into fewer rows and your economy works much better, as you can narrow five lanes down to two, or six into three. Make the garlic 2-3 deep for easy management, and you can plant a bunch of sunflowers safely behind your garlic rows. Combine that with watermelons (even better with the freeze upgrade) and you're doing a lot of damage to multiple zombies with each shot.

The sequel will almost certainly be a Steam pre-order, as the brilliant minds at PopCap rarely disappoint, and PvZ has that awesome balance of casual accessibility and pretty hardcore depth and strategy.

nin wrote on Aug 20, 2012, 10:19:I could never get past the last set of levels, when you're on the roof...

Whenever I got stuck, I'd give it to my 5 year old. I don't know how, but he managed to finish the game. Trial and error (dozens of times) appears to be the solution.

Just out of curiosity, are are either of you good at Defense Grid? Wondering if the Tower Defense skillset is why it's so bizarrely easy for most people I know. I think I got through the campaign 3 times in the first day (it was like caffeine, couldn't sleep).

Key to roof levels was artillery (first corn, then watermelons) on the back end and those umbrella-leaf plants that protect from the bungee zombies/thrown guys.

Every plant has a purpose, which is why I've wondered since that fateful day...how could they ever do a sequel and introduce new plants? There were already a few useless ones, so anything they add will just be overpowered or useless.

PvZ is way way way too easy, and yeah, I ROCK at Defense Grid. I was in the top 100 on all maps before the cheaters started going nuts.

As for the roof, it's pretty simple. Sunflower, Sunflower, Sunflower, Sunflower. By this point the zombie is near your first flower pot. Squash for the Zombie. Sunflower. Now another zombie shows up. Plant a catapult in the same row. Flower pot, Sunflower. Plant another catapult if the zombie is in another row, or a corn thrower if the new zombie is in the same row.

Keep building out flower pots and sunflowers until you have three rows of sunflowers, one row of catapults and one row of corn throwers. Then start swapping out the last row of sunflowers for melon pults.

Walls are optional. I usually never bother unless the game randomly picks them for me. Flowers are actually cheap walls that pay themselves off in a hurry, so I tend to just keep planting those. Works just as well.

The roof levels are dead easy. You don't need umbrella plants. Yeah, the bungee zombies are annoying, but oh well. They take a plant, you immediately plant it back again. And the basketball throwers typically die before they ever do any damage. And even IF they do, it costs 100 sun to replace the catapult. *shrug*

The only annoying level is the bonus one where you only get chompers. I fucking HATE that level. I've never actually failed at it, despite playing it at least 50 times, but I just hate it. It's no fun.